The present invention relates to optical encoders and more particularly to a spherical optical encoder which can determine angular position of a member around each of three mutually orthogonal axes. One intended use for the invention is to provide apparatus for use with hand operated controller which supplies signals to control remote systems such as robot arms, air or space craft, free fliers and the like.
Hand operated controllers are designed for specific purposes in controlling robots, aircraft and spacecraft and each have specific features useful for particular applications. For example, in the co-pending Israel Menahem U.S. Pat. No. 5,142,931, and the Israel Menahem et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,182,961 filed Jul. 30, 1991 unique mechanisms are shown for use with a hand grip in which all three axes intersect within a cavity and which allow motion in strictly linear fashion along three orthogonal axes. A number of other prior art references show hand controllers that provide an output indicative of movement around a pivot point. In the usual hand controller mechanism, suitable detectors are employed for determining the amount of linear or angular motion of the hand controller in a predetermined direction or about the pivot to supply the signal to the remote control devices.
None of the prior art has, however, provided a single unitary structure which will provide outputs around more than one axis without using complicated levers and extensions for providing such outputs.